Middlesbrough vs Rotherham United
EFL Championship
Saturday
20th January 2024
Riverside Stadium
The most comprehensive preview, detailed analysis and reliable predictions of the EFL Championship fixture between Middlesbrough and Rotherham United.
Middlesbrough vs Rotherham United: Preview
Middlesbrough form analysis
Middlesbrough’s recent form has been inconsistent, with two wins, one draw and two losses from their past five Championship matches. This period began positively on December 23rd with a 1-0 home victory over West Bromwich Albion courtesy of Marcus Rogers’ first half strike. However, a 1-0 away loss at Rotherham United followed three days later as Boro failed to break down their stubborn hosts. Middlesbrough returned to winning ways on December 30th by beating Huddersfield Town 2-1 away from home. Overturning a 1-0 deficit with goals from Josh Coburn and Jonny Howson.
But inconsistency plagued them again as Coventry City left the Riverside with a 3-1 victory on New Year’s Day, undone by two second half goals from Tsubasa Sakamoto. Most recently, despite Coburn’s opener, Millwall defeated Middlesbrough 3-1 away from home on January 13th. Based on these fluctuating results, Middlesbrough has struggled to sustain consistent form but has shown enough attacking threat to compete at the top end of the Championship when on their game.
Rotherham United form analysis
Rotherham United’s recent Championship form has been inconsistent. One win, three draws and a loss from their last five matches. This run began with a 3-0 home thrashing by Leicester City on December 23rd in a match where they failed to register a shot on target. Rotherham responded by grinding out a 1-0 home victory over Middlesbrough three days later thanks to Callum Bramall’s winner. Their resilience continued by fighting back to draw 1-1 with Sunderland on December 30th after falling behind to Shane Clucas’ opener.
The New Year opened with an entertaining 2-2 home draw against Blackburn Rovers on January 1st, with Rotherham coming from behind twice. However, Rotherham struggled to create in their next match, suffering a 1-0 home loss to Stoke City on January 13th from a Liam Baker winner. Based on these up and down results against varying opposition. Rotherham has remained competitive but lacked a cutting edge in their last two games to turn positive performances into wins.
